What is Hygge?

What is hygge—and how on earth do you pronounce it?

“Hew-guh” (yes, that’s really how you pronounce hygge) is both a lifestyle and design trend. It eludes a strict definition, but at the core it means well-being, and it’s closely linked with an appreciation of things that are living and real, warming and humanizing. While it’s enjoying popularity today, the concept is no newcomer. In fact, the Danish—who also brought us the clean, sterile, mid-century modern trend—have been practicing hygge for centuries. 

Hygge is an artful, intentional way of life that promotes comfort, well-being, connection with others, and contentment. It’s a nourishing bowl of soup and a favorite hand-knit scarf, an evening walk with a friend and a bedtime book with a child. When you hygger, you take the time to make the everyday special. 

For interior design, hygge is a room that reflects who you are, authentically. It’s functional and simple, then layered, tactfully, with textures, colors, and items that bring you comfort. A hygge space is more about wabi sabi than perfection. It’s humanized and real. Living plants are hygge; fake flowers are not. A ceramic mug is hygge; a plastic cup is not. Wood and linen are hygge; Formica and polyester are not. Cozy is often used to describe a hygge room.

Read more about biophilia, another trend that reflects this appreciation of living things and natural order.

Check out our next post to learn the first step in bringing hygge to a room.

What do you do to hygger each day?